Quick question.

Have you ever added up everything you spend just to keep the lights on? Not just your electricity bill. Everything. Most people haven’t.

If You’re on Prepaid… You buy a ₦20,000 token. A few weeks later, it’s finished. You top up with another ₦10,000. Then maybe ₦5,000 before the month ends.

Because you’re paying in bits, it doesn’t always feel like much. Until you do the maths.

If You’re on Postpaid…

The experience is different. There’s no topping up or watching your units count down. You simply use electricity until the end of the month. Then your bill arrives. ₦30,000, ₦50,000. Maybe even more, depending on your usage and tariff band.

And almost everyone has had that moment of staring at the bill and thinking, “Wait… how did it get to this amount?”

But That’s Not the Whole Story

For many Nigerian homes, grid electricity isn’t the only power source. There’s also the generator, fuel, servicing, oil changes, the occasional repair.

And before you know it, you’ve spent another ₦20,000, ₦30,000, or even more just to keep it running.

When You Add Everything Together…

Your monthly power cost isn’t just your prepaid token or your postpaid bill. It’s all of it:

• Electricity.

• Generator fuel.

• Maintenance.

• Even the occasional appliance damaged by a power surge.

When you put everything together, many households are spending tens of thousands of naira every month just to have power. And over a year? That’s a significant amount.

So, Have You Ever Really Calculated It?

Power isn’t just another monthly expense. It affects how comfortably you live, how well you work, and even how productive your day is.

So the next time you think, “I don’t spend that much on electricity,” take a moment to add up everything.

You might be surprised by the total.

Now over to you.

Are you on a prepaid or postpaid meter?

And if you had to estimate, how much do you think you really spend on power every month?